Skip to main content

Week One (2023-24): Friday, September 1, 2023

Welcome: 

Welcome to my blog to keep you up to date with what's going on in my social studies classes! I will try my best to remain consistent and up to date with this so if you notice me slipping please call me on it. The whirlwind of the first week of school has come to an end and it was a busy one for the students! We were able to meet with administrators, get the new lunch procedures down, take a team photo, and figure out the new schedule with homeroom at the start of the day! 

Each week I enjoy taking some class time on Friday to show a video that is about more than just social studies. Sometimes the videos will be serious, and sometimes they will be funny, but they are always meant to get the students thinking about their own lives and those around them. This week I showed an oldie but a goodie--a segment from ESPN called Outside the Lines about two wrestlers who encounter and overcome a variety of obstacles. I hope you enjoy the video! 



This Past Week: 

Both my Social Studies and Accelerated Social Studies classes were doing the same things this week. The goals of this week were simple--to get to know each other, start building some comfort and community, and for the students to learn some of the procedures we will use throughout the school year. Here's a quick rundown of what we did each day: 
  • Monday: Today was all about easing our way back into school! The students gave me some information about themselves, interviewed each other and completed a Frayer a Friend graphic organizer & got to know each other a little better. 
  • Tuesday: Tuesday was another shortened class period--we did our first Fast and Curious Quizizz game (something we'll do quite often here) so the students could learn about the class and me as a teacher. 
  • Wednesday:  Today was the first day the students did any sort of "arguing" in here. I will often ask the students to formulate and defend an opinion and today we started with "Do schools kill creativity?" Additionally, the students did their first Sketch and Tell of the year--these activities are great in helping them to learn and make meaning of new information since they are drawing and writing about it. 
  • Thursday: The students started to do some historical research skills and content creation. We started with a cool way to build collective research databases using a Google Form and then used that information to create a Google Slide based on the research of the class. Finally, the students were asked to write a summary of what they learned today--this will help me to see where we need to focus to strengthen our writing moving forward. 
  • Friday: We celebrated our first week back with an inspirational video and some time to work on their first learning menu in class. The students will be asked to help guide their own learning throughout the year and our first week's Google Playlist helps them get in that habit. 

Next Week:

We'll continue to do activities that are meant to help the students feel more connected to each other, me as a teacher, and the class as well as get them used to the procedures and activities we'll do this year. Here are a few of the bigger assignments we will be doing this week: 
  • Why Study History? We'll take time to discuss the study of history. The students will take part in an activity called a debate carousel to help them practice formulating opinions and seeing both sides of a discussion. 
  • Is a Hotdog a Sandwich? We'll practice writing arguments based on evidence and reasoning in this assignment. 
  • History of Mr. B They students will learn everything they ever wanted to know plus more about me as they work with primary sources about my life. This activity will help them learn how we "do" history

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week Three: Friday, September 13, 2034

Welcome:  This week, we had the privilege of watching a video titled "Dear High School Self," created by a former student. This heartfelt message serves as a poignant reminder for our students to cherish their time in school, as it passes quickly. Many students found it relatable and impactful, highlighting the importance of reflection during their formative years.   This Past Week: Monday: I was out today for a few doctor's appointments and the students worked on a Wizer activity meant to help them differentiate between primary and secondary sources and recognize bias. The guest teacher had nothing but great things to say about the students!  Tuesday:  Today was the final day for the students to work on their Unit One Timelines (#10 on the Google Classroom). It was great to hear the students discussing the different ways to go about finding the information for the timeline. One student said, "ohhh, it's like a game and you have to put together the clues."  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Two: Friday, September 6, 2024

Welcome:  I simply cannot believe how quickly these past two weeks have gone! We are nine days into school and the students are doing great. They have been learning the new morning routines and bell schedules and it's starting to feel like we never left for summer break.  This week I showed a quick little video about happiness by Jay Shetty. If you follow anything in the personal growth space you may know that Shetty has come under fire recently as claims that he may have embellished his background have surfaced. I feel that we can all believe whatever we like about him, but the message of this video still stands--it's all about how to be truly happy in life.  This Past Week:  Tuesday: The students came back from their long weekend today and were given time to finish the Week 1 Gameboard before we used MagicSchoolAI to practice using AI to research so we can formulate and defend opinions. The big question for today was "Should we study history or is it a waste of tim...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Twelve: Friday, November 17, 2023

Welcome:  Well, we are finally finished with the first quarter content and moving on to our next topic--Westward Expansion! I'm very excited to dive into the new content as we get closer to Thanksgiving Break and parent-teacher conferences next week.  The week after Thanksgiving starts one of my favorite things we do as a school community--Operation Giving Tree. This drive helps make the holidays better for families within our school community. Check out the quick video, flyer and spreadsheet for more information.  Operation Giving Tree Social Studies (1, 5 and 6)  This Past Week:  Monday:  We took time today to go through a self-directed Pear Deck activity meant to help the students learn the meaning of the term "Manifest Destiny," review for the Civics Exam, join the new Google Classroom, and start working on the first assignment for the second unit called ✅ #01-Westward Map & Timeline Activity.  Tuesday:  The students got a preview of the C...
Post a Comment
Read more